Coal breaker



June 1, 1965 H. HALTOF 3,186,649

COAL BREAKER Filed Nov. 25, 1962 'mL-1- E INVENTOI?. HENR Y HAL TOF By M25/91%# Aflorney as they fall.

United States Patent O 3,186,649 v y COAL BREAKER Henry Halto'Portage, Ind., assigner to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. N 239,730

2 Claims. V(Cl. 241-81) This invention relates to an improved rotary coal breaker.

A conventional rotary coal breaker includes a rotatable Y tending fingers and a plurality of longitudinally extending shelves. Coal is introduced to one end of the drum and the fingers feed it along the length thereof, while the shelves lift the coal and allow the larger pieces to break Coal pieces of the size desired discharge through the perforations. Foreign material, such as slate, is harder and the pieces do not break, but discharge through the other end.

In designing breakers of this type, the practice has been topmake the perforations as small as possible to screen out long and sharp -bodies which might damage subseshelves and thus diminishes the effectiveness of the break-' Overloadin'gfalso causes undue wear on the parts el'. which support and drive the drum.

x An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary coal breaker which discharges material more readily and is self-cleaning, whereby overloading and the resulting problems are avoided.

A further object -is to provide an improved breaker in which the perforations in the drum for at least a portion of its length are in the form of peripherally extending slots.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: n

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rotary coal breaker constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view with parts broken away taken from the left of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial vertical section on line III-III of lFIGURE l; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section on a larger scale on` line IV-IV of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 1 and 2 show a rotary coal breaker which includes a cylindrical drum 10, a series of fianged wheels 12 supporting the drum at its ends for rotation on its longitudinal axis, a drive motor and speed reducer 13, and a chain and sprocket vmechanism 14 connecting the motor and drum. The drum itself is formed of anv nular end plates 15, a plurality of spreader bars 16 of T-shape in cross section connecting the end plates, and f perforated circumferential plates 17 which are fixed to the spreader bars and extend the major portion of the length of the drum. Coal or similar material is introduced to the left end of the drum through a chute'Z larger pieces to fall and vthus break -into fragments ofr Patented .lune 1 ,n 1965 a size which pass through the perforations in plate 17. Coal which discharges through the gperforations is collected in a suitable receiver (not shown). Foreign bodies, such as slate, discharge from the right endV of the drum. The structure thus farr described is conventional, and hence not described in greater detail.

In accordance with the present invention, I replace the circumferential plates in a portion of the drum adjacent the feed end with a plurality of longitudinally spaced bars 20. As FIGUREA shows, each bar 20 is attached at its ends to two of the spreaderbars 16. Each bar 20 is bent at its midportion, whereby the portion of the drum occupied by these bars is polygonal in cross section. The spaces between bars 20 form peripheral slots 21, each of which extends from one spreader bai` 16 to the next. Normally I omit the shelves 18 and fingers 19l in the portion of the drum occupied by bars 20. Nevertheless I can extend this portion to include more of the drum length, in which event l can include l of the drum occupied by the plates 17, where they are i broken in the usual manner. Since the smaller particles do not reach this portion of the drum, the larger pieces break up more effectively and discharge through the perforations in plate 17 without overloading the drum. It is critical to the' successful operation of my invention that slots 21 extend peripherally rather than longitudinally. `The peripheral slots are self-cleaning and do not clog;l longitudinal slots do not provide this advantage.

While I have shown and described only a single ernbodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not Wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

'1. In a rotary coal breaker which includes a drum having feed and discharge ends, means rotatably supporting said drum, drive means operatively connected with said drum for rotating it, and means for introducing coal to the feed end of said drum, saiddrum having a perforated cylindrical wall which extends along a portion of its length spaced from the feed end, means Ainside said wall for feeding coal along the length of the drum, and means inside said wall for lifting coal and allowing it to fall and break into pieces which pass. through the perforations in said wall, the combinationtherewith of means for eliminating fines from coal introduced to said drum before the coal reaches said wall and thus preventing overloading of the drum, said last-named means comprising a plurality of spaced-apart peripherally extending bars forming the drum wall in the space between the feed end and said perforated` wall, the spaces between.

said bars forming peripherally extending slots through which fines discharge without clogging. l

2. In a rotary coal breaker which includes a drum having feed and discharge ends, means rotatably supporting said drum, drive means operatively connected with said drum for rotating it, and means for introducing coal to the feed end of said drum, said drum compris- ,ing a pairl of annular end plates,y a plurality of spaced apart spreader bars extending between said end plates,

a perforated cylindrical wall fixed to said spreader bars and extending along a portion of the length of the drum spaced from the feed end, angular fingers fixed within said wall for feeding coal along the length of the drum, and shelves fixed within said wall for lifting coal and allowing it to fall and break into pieces which pass 

1. IN A ROTARY COAL BREAKER WHICH INCLUDES A DRUM HAVING FEED AND DISCHARGE ENDS, MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID DRUM, DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID DRUM FOR ROTATING IT, AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING COAL TO THE FEED END OF SAID DURM, SAID DRUM HAVING A PERFORATED CYLINDRICAL WALL WHICH EXTENDS ALONG A PORTION OF ITS LENGTH SPACED FROM THE FEED END, MEANS INSIDE SAID WALL FOR FEEDING COAL ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE DRUM, AND MEANS INSIDE SAID WALL FOR LIFTING COAL AND ALLOWING IT TO FALL AND BREAK INTO PIECES WHICH PASS THROUGH THE 